Witch Hat Cupcakes
It’s SpoOoOoOky season, which means so many fun treats! So much creativity comes out of Halloween, it’s hard not to be a little inspired. This year for Halloween, we’re making something a little less scary and a little more festive and kind of adorable:
Witch Hat Cupcakes!
This is a totally simple, kid-friendly, and more importantly, Halloween party-friendly treat you can whip up at the last minute. I made these from scratch, but no shame in using box cake mix or frosting, especially if you’re in a time crunch or get a last minute party invite. If you do have kiddos around, it would be a pretty easy thing for them to help you make, and also leaves them with room to be creative too.
I did these with green frosting and chocolate cupcakes for more of a Wicked Witch of the West vibe, but you could really mix and match with whatever colors you’d like. I realized in hindsight that I could have totally made Hocus Pocus themed cupcakes for all my Sanderson Sister fans out there. If you decide to go that route, I would probably use vanilla cupcakes, and then switch up the colors of the frosting to match each sister’s magic: green for Winifred, purple for Sarah, and red for Mary.
My one tip for this is for the frosting. If you’re using food coloring, start with one or two drops and adjust from there. Make sure you fully mix in each drop you use so you can accurately assess the color you’re getting. It’s just a bunch of Hocus Pocus!
-S
Ingredients:
For the cupcakes:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup olive oil or vegetable oil
1 large egg
3/4 cup of milk
1 tsp vanilla
Oreo thins
Hershey Kisses
For the frosting:
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 3/4 cup powdered sugar
1 tbs heavy whipping cream
Green and orange gel food coloring
**Or you can always use a boxed mix for the cupcakes and premade frosting!
Method:
Preheat oven to 350° and line a cupcake tin with cupcake liners.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
Using a stand mixer or hand mixer, whip together sugar, oil and egg on low speed for 1 minute. Keeping the speed on low, add the milk and vanilla and mix until combined.
Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet, adding 1/2 cup at a time. Mix until just combined and the dry ingredients are no longer visible.
Pour batter into prepped tin, filling about 1/2 full. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Let them cool in the tin before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
While your cupcakes are cooling, make your frosting. Using a stand or hand mixer, whip the butter and vanilla on high speed until pale and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
Drop to medium speed and slowly add the powdered sugar, adding 1/2 cup at a time, mixing thoroughly in between. Add the tablespoon of whipping cream.
Once your frosting is done, scoop out 1/3 of it into a separate bowl. Add green food coloring and mix until the desired color is reached. Start with 2-3 drops and adjust from there. Add orange food coloring to the frosting left in the mixing bowl and mix until desired color is reached.
To decorate, frost all cupcakes with green frosting by hand or using a piping bag to create the witch’s hair. Next, carefully place an Oreo thin on top, making sure it’s centered. Add a small dollop of orange frosting to the center of each Oreo, about the size of a nickel. Press an unwrapped Hershey Kiss into the orange frosting using a little pressure so a ring appears around the base of the Kiss.